Reverse complementary matches simultaneously promote both back-splicing and exon-skipping
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play diverse roles in different biological and physiological environments. Understanding circRNA expression profile and how circRNAs are regulated help make better use of them. Here, using large-scale neuron isolation from the first larval stage (L1) of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) followed by whole-transcriptome RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), we provide the first neuronal circRNA data in C. elegans. We show that circRNAs are highly expressed in the neurons of C. elegans and are preferably derived from neuronal genes. More importantly, reverse complementary matches (RCMs) in circRNA-flanking introns are not only required for back-splicing but also promote the skipping of exon(s) to be circularized. Finally, through one-by-one mutagenesis of all the splicing sites and branch points required for exon-skipping and back-splicing, we show that exon-skipping is not absolutely required for back-splicing, neither the other way. Instead, the coupled exon-skipping and back-splicing are happening at the same time and the two pathways work together to regulate the levels of the circular and the skipped transcripts.